Advancement in Medicinal Plant Research

54-63

Authors: E. N. Kunene, T. O. Oseni, P. K. Wahome, M. T. Masarirambi, M. J. McCubbin, P. S. Dlamini, S. A. Sihlongonyane and M. G. Zwane

Wild ginger is a medicinal plant which belongs to Zingeberaceae family. It is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of coughs, colds, flu, malaria and menstrual disorders. However, the plant is at the verge of extinction due to unsustainable harvesting practices. The objective of this study was to develop in vitro micro-propagation protocol for the wild ginger. The MS media with 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mg L-1 BAP, 2.0 mg L-1 BAP + 0.5 mg L-1 NAA, and 2.0 mg L-1 BAP + 1.0 mg L-1 NAA, were evaluated on leaf, corm and root explants for in vitro shoot regeneration via direct organogenesis. In vitro rooting was investigated on half strength MS medium augmented with 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg L-1 NAA. Corm explants were significantly more effective in direct shoot regeneration in vitro than the leaf and root explants which neither regenerated shoots nor formed callus. The 1.0 mg L-1 BAP produced shoots which were significantly higher in number and longer than those from other treatments. However, there was no significant difference between 1.0 and 0.5 mg L-1 BAP. There was also no significant difference between the PGR-free MS medium and 0.5 mg L-1 BAP. No shoots were observed on 2.0 mg L-1 BAP, and on either of the combination of BAP and NAA. The half strength MS medium was effective on in vitro rooting, with no significant differences among the NAA concentrations on rooting percentage, number of roots and root length. From the results of this trial, it can be recommended that corm explants be used for direct shoot regeneration of wild ginger in vitro, with BAP of up to 1.0 mg L-1, and be rooted on half strength MS medium supplemented with NAA of up to 2.0 mg L-1.

70-77

Authors: Y. H. Gu, T. Yamasita, D. J. Choi, H. Yamamoto, T. Matsuo, N. Washino, J. H. Song and K. M. Kang

Excessive nutrition and increasingly westernizing dietary choices may be contributing toward a recent trend in rising incidences of chronic lifestyle-related diseases. In this study, we like to evaluate the anti-cancer properties of plant enzyme derived Validux using a mouse model. The anti-cancer properties of Plant Enzyme Validux (PEV) was evaluated using a mouse model. 5 weeks old male BalB/c mice were randomly distributed into four experimental groups: Control, PEV only, 2Gy (gray) only, and PEV + 2Gy. Experimental units were administrated (oral administration by stomach sonde) with 500 mg/kg daily dosage of PEV for 14 days before being subjected to 2Gy of whole body irradiation. Flow cytometry was used to observe the changes in leukocyte and T-Lymphocyte numbers. The PEV treatment group showed statistically significant increase in cytotoxic CD8+ lymphocyte count versus the control group while increased leukocyte and lymphocyte recovery rate was observed in the PEV + 2Gy group. Ordinary trend was also observed in granulocytes. In order to observe PEV’s effect on tumor growth, Experimental units were inoculated with SSC7 mouse carcinoma cell line following 14 days of daily PEV administration. PEV treatment groups showed decrease in tumor volume and mass vis-à-vis control. Thus, we would like to propose that PEV may be potentially used as a radioprotective supplement in radiotherapy for tumor suppression.

26-32

Authors: E. N. Kunene and M. T. Masarirambi

The use of indigenous medicinal plants by people is widespread in the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Southern Africa region as a whole. However, due to over exploitation, and for some other reasons like climate change, some indigenous medicinal plants have become endangered and are threatened with extinction. Subsequent loss of biodiversity is at stake. Urgent intervention is therefore, required to conserve them. The purpose of this study was to document plant biotechnology techniques which can be used in conservation of rare, endangered and potentially threatened medicinal plants of crucial importance in the country and region. Various ways of conservation through plant biotechnology are discussed.

40-45

Authors: Reza Dehghani Bidgoli

In order to investigate the effect of different levels of drought stress on plant growth and essential oil composition of Rosemary aerial parts, a completely randomized design (CRD) with five treatments and three replications was conducted in the University of Kashan in 2017. The water stress treatments contained: 100, 85, 70, 55 and 40% of field capacity (FC). The results of statistical analysis showed that the water stress had significant effects on morphological characteristics and percentage and essential oil composition. By decreasing the amount of soil water, length, fresh weight of stem and fresh and dry weight of root reduced. Also, the percentage of essential oils first increased and then decreased. Decreasing of growth parameters was observed in the fifth level of stress (40% of FC) and plants produced very little flowers. In order to investigate the essential oil factors, the aerial parts were separated and their essential oils were extracted, more essential oil was obtained in 85% FC condition. The important compound in the essential oils was Camphor which increased its value with increased level of drought stress. Also, Camphene, that has reduced the quality of the essential oil, first decreased by increasing the drought stress level and then increased. Therefore it can be concluded that in the initial levels of drought stress (85% FC) the percentage of essential oil increased but with increasing drought stress (55% FC), despite the decrease in the percentage of essential oil produced, its quality increased. So, the best stress level for increasing the essential oil production was 85% FC, and for the essential oil quality was 55% FC.

13-18

Authors: Ralf Uebelhack, Udo Bongartz, Barbara Grube, JooLian Khoo and Pee-Win Chong

A proprietary fiber complex, IQP-AK-102, consisting of glucomannan, kappa-carrageenan and xanthan gum, has been shown to reduce body weight in a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial. It was postulated that IQP-AK-102 promotes weight loss through enhancing satiety, increasing gastric distension and delaying gastric emptying. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine if appetite reduction through above-mentioned mechanisms is underlying the efficacy of IQP-AK-102 for body weight loss. Thirty-six healthy overweight adults (BMI 25-30 kg/m2) were administered 2 capsules of IQP-AK-102 three times daily for 4 weeks, after a 2-week run-in phase. Visual analogue scales (VAS) and Haber (hunger/satiety) scale were used to evaluate the appetite sensation. All measurements were assessed 3 days a week during the run-in phase as well as in the first and last week of the treatment period. The scales were completed before breakfast (at time -30 and 0 min) and after breakfast (at time 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min). Additionally, food intake was also recorded in a food diary. The appetite evaluation study showed that IQP-AK-102 reduced both the appetite sensation and the mean daily caloric intake significantly after 1 week and 4 weeks of intake. IQP-AK-102 was well tolerated throughout the study duration, with no product related adverse effects reported. These results suggest that IQP-AK-102 reduces appetite and caloric intake and thus, can be considered a natural and safe intervention for promoting weight loss.

1-8

Authors: Sleman Kadan, Yoel Sasson, Raed Abu-Reziq, Bashar Saad, Shoshana Benvalid, Thomas Linn, Guy Cohen and Hilal Zaid

Teucrium polium L. (TP) is recommended by herbal and integrative practitioners for the treatment of diabetes. However, its mechanism of action in stimulating GLUT4 activity and translocation to the plasma membrane is still unknown. This in vitro study examined the chemical composition, cytotoxicity, and antidiabetic activity of three TP distinct extracts: water/ethanol (WTP), methanol (MTP), and hexane (HTP). The compositions of the TP extracts were determined by GC/MS. MTT and LDH assays were used to assess the toxicity of the extracts. The efficacies of the TP extracts in enhancing glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) translocation to plasma membrane (PM) were tested in L6 muscle cells, stably expressing myc-tagged GLUT4 using the cell-ELISA test. GC/MS phytochemical analysis of MTP and HTP extracts revealed 10 compounds in each extract, and only palmitic acid was communal in these two extracts. WTP, MTP, and HTP extracts were safe up to 63, 63, and 250 µg/ml, respectively. The HTP extract was the most efficient in GLUT4 translocation enhancement, while the least efficient was the WTP extract. In addition, the HTP extract increased the GLUT4 translocation at 32 µg/ml by 2- and 3-fold relative to the control in the absence and presence of insulin, respectively. A similar result was obtained with the MTP extract at 63 µg/ml. In contrast, WTP extract in the presence of insulin had no effect and in the absence of insulin had slightly enhanced GLUT4 translocation. These findings indicate that TP antidiabetic activity is mediated in part by enhancing GLUT4 translocation to the PM in skeletal muscle.